Fergus County argus., 1887-10-06
WITH A DYaaMlTe GUN.
siOsy ZaiiWski Stn s-i,ed u sahoOnrr
An. horrd S.f Fort Lafayette.

New York Word. sept. 81: The
pneumatic dynamite gun, to perfect
which, l.ieut. Edmund l.. Zalinski, Bat
terry r, Fifth Artillery, L. 5. A.. has
labored for two years, was officially
tested by him yesterday i'm the pres
ence OF Secretary Whitney and the
Naval Committee OF the House Of
REPRESENTATIVES.. The test was IA s,lc-
cess in so much rs it demonstrated
that it was possible to project "A d!-
na,uite C trtritige one mile with ac,.ii-
racy and explode it on the deck or
beneath the huil OF the vessel fired at.
The target used was the two mast
schooner Stillman. eighty tons bnr'icu.
la e oi thpl'nitel StatesCoas Survey,
but recently condemned ani resvrve.l
10 ee used in torpedo experimenting.
She was anchored about one mile
SOU; II OF Fort L9iaye.,e. where the a'ln
stool. 10 speak accurately ,!,e was
$50 yards away nom the tnuzz'c %
th, c,,.,. She was smashed mo Drift
wood with two shots.
AZ. O'Clock IN the afternoon the
Hazel Kirae left the barge O.iite wharf
at the Bat cry carrying people TO wit
ness the test. Several Nes' els ana nu-
me.ou> steam and sailing yachts
anchoied or lay to about n quarter
r. OF IA mile to the westward oi the
uoomel schooner. The lttie' was
twenty feet beam and eighty feet long.
She WAS anchored with her stern near
~; TO the gtinncr's si9nt. This maie
II very small target at the distance.
On Forts Hamilton and Nadsworth
were stationed United. states signal
/ service sersents and assistants who
we're to triang,lIate the test. Lieut.
John W. Bucknaii, the signal oiicer
Lat Fort l.afayett, signalrd AT 3 clock
! precisely. first to. the flag ship and
/ TO each of the forts. that everything
was ready. Each answered ''al right.
Then people who watched the dyna-
mite gun saw n wreath of gray vapor
/ play about the muzzle and presently
/ heard II ,.creeching sound followed 10y
+ "a heavy roar. The gray vapor marx
cd the rushing OF compressed ar nom
/ the uun--a tube ol eight iuclr; dame
/ trr--into the surrounding warmer ar.
/ This caused the forma ION OF steam.
IN twelve seconds n long Capsule
shaped project, lie fell ten yards ns'iern
and "A little to the starbuard side oi
the schooner This was II blank ear
! fridge. and was fired to test the eleNa-
ion and range. The angle OF the ele-
vation of the gun was fourteen degrees.
\ pressure of 900 pounds to the
su,larr inch had been generated in the
bieech OF .he gun with which to prOp.l
the missile, which weighed iilty-iivs
pouuls. the exact weight of the dyna-
- III
that the pressure h al gone down some
ninety pounds to the square lnch: IL
took thirty minutes TO restore u te
500 pounds, ut interpolation of which
time inctler dummy proleriile Ma
fired. The guns .l.tation was abonl
the same. bul tie prolectile leli Only
eight wards astern and to stafboard
Halt an hour later and VIII IA re H.
tered pressure oi 6D' pounds to tn'
,nare inch. II shell containing lii Y
i've pounds OF explosive gelatinc wa
fire /. This is 80 per cent more lie
struclive than an equal weight q dy
nlmIte. The shell fell clos, under IN
starhoard quarter. and thercncus 'loi
in ai,lcat to the explo-ion larr'd tn
We .S.l 81 that he main mast broke %.
some three ices above ilr de'n. lin
explosion sent n column oi watc
about ninety-iiNe or ninel yseyen fee
into to the air. IL wa' APPARENT l.
about twenty feet thick. Tins fel
partially upon the torn oil malnmas
and swept it by the board. TIE eN
=, plo ,ion also loosened all the wood
work about the schooner. Thirt.
minutes later II second shell was fired
II fell directly under the stern oi tn
vessel and exploded under her ke'
about mi,l~hip. The result WAS tei
rifle. The schooner WAS lifted NJ
. fairly torn apart amidship. each ha
. settling down into the water abou
;. twenty feet from the other. The tai
e rails were under water III less tina
thirty seconds. rnd only the forens
and its standing ri5sin- We're leit
view. III around tai, tinated pier'
ri the schooner abog1 as ai- n sim
-lr>.
In each OF these il- anfr~ the %
. a;iuc WAS eXplode-i iY PERCUSSION
Ills WY: ! small ,!rcfi'i - tef